Bangalore: The Congress government in Karnataka has decided to extend reservation benefits to the full Muslim community by including them in the list of backward classes. However, this decision has faced criticism from various quarters.

The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has opposed the Karnataka government's decision, stating that it undermines the principles of social justice. According to the Karnataka Backward Class Welfare Department's data, all Muslim castes in the state have been categorized as socially and educationally backward and placed in the IIB category of backward classes.

The NCBC has argued that religion-based reservation goes against the aim of providing social justice, especially to the marginalized Muslim castes and communities identified as socially and educationally backward. This blanket classification of Muslims as a backward caste could weaken social justice principles.

With approximately 12.92% of the state's population being Muslim, the NCBC expressed concern that the government's decision might adversely affect reservation in local body elections. In Karnataka, there is a 32% reservation for Other Backward Classes in local body elections, and there is a demand to distribute this reservation among different communities.

Criticism of the Congress government's decision has also emerged on social media, with many alleging that the decision follows the party's historical strategy of 'Divide and Rule.'

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